'Flashdance – the Musical' to launch North American tour in 2013

It’s a surprisingly eventful week for moderately successful ’80s romantic dramas. Flashdance – the Musical, the stage adaptation of the hit 1983 film, is set to launch its first national tour in January 2013 in Pittsburgh, where the original film was set, after beginning a run on Broadway in the fall of 2012. It will play 25 markets in North America, with additional cities and casting TBA.

The musical, which tells the story of an aspiring ballet dancer who works at a steel mill by day and a “flashdancer” at a local bar by night, will include songs from the film’s famous soundtrack, including “Gloria,” “Maniac,” and the Academy Award-winning “Flashdance – What A Feeling.”

The show is directed and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis, The Addams Family) and features a book by Robert Cary and Tom Hedley (who co-wrote the original screenplay with Joe Eszterhas), music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Roth and Robert Cary.

It’s an interesting sign of confidence to plan a tour for a show that hasn’t even had its bow on Broadway yet, but this isn’t the first time the show has played. It had an initial premiere in London in 2010 but closed earlier than planned (after less than four months). It has since undergone creative changes (how very Taymor-esque) for its North American premiere.

But the big question is: will they include the water scene? Watch the video of those glorious seven seconds (on hypnotic loop) below: